Catholicism dates back to the first century. That is to say, The existence of an apostolic church consisting of local congregations. The idea of a great apostasy at the time the Constantine liberated the Christian churches, or by convening the Nicene Council comes from the Reformation period as a means of opposing Roman authority. If Constantine’s government, and the government of his son ever acted to impose Church authority on dissidents, it was at the behest of his Arian and semi-arian bishops to suppress the trinitarian doctrines of that Council.
The church dates back to the first century...There was no Catholic church...There was no central church...There were autonomous individual churches...
If there was a central church in the beginning, it was the church at Jerusalem...That's where Jesus told the apostles (including Peter) to congregate and be sent out from there...The bible is clear on that...
The idea that the group with the biggest army became the city of the church and the church of the scriptures, because of that army, has no biblical evidence, or truth, Catholic history notwithstanding...